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Mild winter means big discounts in January sales

21:47 02/01/2019

Mild weather and the recent "yellow vests" protests in Belgium have prompted shops to offer big discounts in the January sales - which start this Thursday (3 January).

Stores have vast stocks of winter clothes that they are looking to clear - and many traders are facing cashflow problems, according to the UCM union, with more than half of stores seeing a fall in revenue in the second half of 2018.

"The yellow vests demonstrations had an impact," said a spokesman for retail federation Comeos. Over several weekends in November and December, protesters blockaded industrial estates in Wallonia. That, coupled with the mild weather, means fewer people have been out shopping for winter clothes.

According to Comeos, the discounts are likely to begin at 30% to 50%. "There is a lot of unsold stock, especially in women's clothing, winter items and shoes," the spokesman added.

The sales - in January and July - are the only times of the year when retailers are allowed to sell products at a loss to clear stock. The winter sales end on 31 January.